Back to the Island
by AJsHellCat
Summary: As Elizabeth battles her guilt and mourns Jack, a peculiar thing happens...
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: this came to be randomly and I decided to jot it down. Enjoy and all that. Oh yes, spoilers for DMC for those who have not seen it.

Plot: As Elizabeth battles her guilt and mourns Jack, a peculiar thing happens…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…Disney does.

_I killed him, I killed him, I killed him…_

These were the words flowing through Elizabeth Swann's head as they watched the Kraken drag the Pearl under the ocean's waves.

The guilt was hitting her and hitting hard, causing tears to sting her eyes and then trail down her face.

The last few minutes flashed through her mind, like a nightmare. The kiss, the sound of the chains clicking into place around Jack's wrist, his knowing smile, his last word to her…

_Pirate._

The sobs hit her now, wracking her shoulders. Nobody made a move to comfort her, as they were all lost in their own grief. That was, except for Will, who looked angry.

_Damn you, Jack_, Elizabeth thought while she cried, _you made me fall in love with you with that simple word. _

And that was the truth. The moment that word had escaped Jack's lips, he'd taken her heart. It was nothing like the fairy tale feelings she'd once had for Will. This was all-consuming, freedom giving, hot as fire love.

_I guess that compass was right after all…_

Once they reached Tia Dalma's, the silence that had plagued them on the longboat seemed to grow worse. Nobody said anything, only sat down in defeat and sorrow over the loss of Jack. Some sipped warm rum, hoping it would help but knew it wouldn't.

Elizabeth's eyes were empty, devoid of any happiness. Only grief and guilt were there.

Tia Dalma noticed this and felt her heart go out to the woman.

Bending over, she spoke in Elizabeth's ear a series of words that Elizabeth didn't understand.

"You shall find 'im again." Tia Dalma said in an eerie voice before Elizabeth felt her world go black.


	2. Chapter 2

Elizabeth awoke slowly, her eyes adjusting to the sun that seemed to be beaming down on her.

_What had Tia Dalma whispered in my ear?_

She stood and took in her surroundings. It was an island, a small one that looked exactly like…no, it couldn't be! Could it?

Elizabeth looked around and eventually something out on the water caught her eye. It was a ship. Her eyes widened as she recognized it. It was the Black Pearl! That wasn't possible! She had watched it sink only hours ago…

But there it was; only there were holes in the sails. Now, that was odd…She remembered seeing them fixed.

If this was a dream, it was an odd one. Not to mention slightly cruel since it made her think of Jack…

Elizabeth felt another wave of grief so powerful it made her sink down onto the sand.

_Damn you Tia Dalma, for this…for dangling memories of the man I love in front of me…_

"This is the second time I've watched that rat sail away with my ship."

Elizabeth's head snapped up at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice.

_Jack! _

She turned her head and saw the man in question. A smile split her face as pure joy surged through her heart. Leaping up, she ran down the sand towards him, tears of happiness this time, streaming down her face.

"Jack! Oh God, you're alright!" She shouted right before she threw her arms around him. The force of her colliding with him made Jack wobble backwards, nearly falling into the sand.

"I didn't mean it, Jack! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" The words spilled out of her mouth while yet more tears came. Then she kissed him with all the newfound love she had for him in her heart.

"What is going on here? Didn't mean what? And who are you?" said another voice, a female one that sounded…just like her own?

Elizabeth broke the kiss, much to Jack's obvious disappointment, and turned to look at who had spoken.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the woman who looked exactly like her aswell. Only, this one wore a long, greyish white dress instead of the male pirate clothes and three-cornered hat she was wearing.

_Just like the one I wore when Jack and I were trapped here before…_

That's when it call came together.

"I'm in the past!" she said out loud, the truth hitting her. _That_ was what Tia Dalma had done to her. She'd sent her back here so she could see Jack again. How did she know how she'd felt about Jack? Was she that obvious? Must have been or she wouldn't be here right now.

"Are you daft woman, who looks like Elizabeth but can't be because Elizabeth is right there?"

"I'm not daft, Jack! _Tia Dalma_ did this." Elizabeth said, hoping that mentioning the woman would make Jack believe her.

Jack's eyes took on a look of recognition and a touch of fear. "Tia Dalma?"

"Yes, Jack. She sent me here."

"Why?" the past version of her asked.

Elizabeth sighed and looked down at the sand. "I think because of…events that happened in my time."

"Well," Jack said, putting his arm around her, "They can not be all bad if you were kissing ol' Jack."

Little did Jack know that statement was truer than he knew.

Elizabeth leaned into his arm, enjoying the feel of it around her even though she knew this wasn't the Jack of her time. Call her selfish, but she just needed it.

Jack, however, only grinned and tried to see down her blouse.

At one time, this would have offended Elizabeth and she would have either slapped him or lectured him, maybe both. But this time, she only laughed at his antics.

"They're all buttoned up, Captain Sparrow so I'm afraid you're out of luck."

Jack only shrugged his shoulders and smiled in a way that only he could. Elizabeth felt warmness spread through her upon seeing it. This was pure Jack Sparrow and she loved it and him, entirely.

The other version of herself was glaring at Jack. "You cannot do such things to a lady, Jack!" she turned to Elizabeth now.

"And you should not encourage him, either!"

Wanting to needle her past self, she put her arm around Jack's waist. "But it's so much fun."

"I like this version better, although the pirate clothes are not appealing. You should be wearing a dress or nothing."

"I remember you saying that to me in the future, only you said 'you should wear a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin.'" The memory was as clear as day in her mind.

"Oh really? Do tell ol' Jack more about his future." He twirled bits of her hair around his fingers.

Elizabeth grinned as she realized just what Jack was doing. He was thinking that her knowledge could possibly assist his pirating.

"First of all, I know about your deal with Davy Jones."

Jack looked genuinely shocked.

"Who is Davy Jones? And what deal, Jack?" her past self demanded.

"Davy Jones is the sort of…gatekeeper for souls. When pirates are near death, he'll appear and offer them a deal. They can simply die or they can work on his ship for eternity. Jack saved his skin by promising Davy Jones his soul in exchange for 13 years of being Captain of the Black Pearl." It was Elizabeth that answered her past self.

"You sold your _soul_ in exchange for a _ship_?"

Jack's eyes shifted madly, before he smiled sheepishly. "I might have."

"Of all the _stupid_…" Elizabeth gave her past self a cold, angry look that silenced her.

"Jack," she said slowly, gritting her teeth, "may be a pirate, but he's a _good man_."

Jack watched curiously as the tension between the two identical women began to build and build. Why, he wondered, was she defending him?

Her past self scoffed in a very unladylike manner. "Pirates can never be good men. Only men like Will can." She raised her chin in the air, as if she had told an absolute truth.

That did it. Elizabeth was now spitting mad. "They bloody well can!" Elizabeth took a deep breath and decided to tell them the story that brought her here.

"I'll tell you what led me here. Sit down, both of you." They did as instructed. Elizabeth sat next to Jack, still needing his closeness.

"We all meet up again you know, after this adventure…" and with that, the story of their adventure with Davy Jones began to spill out. When she got near the end, her heart began to hurt.

"And…and then…the Kraken came for us…at first…Jack had rowed away…Then…then he came back….he came back…"

Tears began to sting her eyes and her voice began to shake.

"I-I realized that-that it was Jack it was after, not us…So, I kissed him to distract him…so I could chain to the mast…Then, it appeared…and…and…it…swallowed him and then dragged the Pearl under…" She was crying now.

She looked Jack in the eyes, nothing but naked pain in them, "I-I killed you! I killed you! And even though I said I wasn't sorry…I am! I am!"

She cried in Jack's arms, and cried hard. Surprisingly enough, Jack didn't shout or curse at her, nor did he push her away. It was actually quite the opposite. He was holding her close, letting her cry.

"Pirate." He whispered in her ear, while stroking her hair.

Elizabeth's eyes flew open and her head shot up to look into Jack's eyes. She was about to speak when she realized this wasn't the same Jack that she had been originally held by. This one was covered in slime and blood from his head to his boots.

"Jack? But how can this be? You're…"

"Dead?"

Elizabeth swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes, unfortunately, ol' Jack has expired as it were."

"Then how…"

"Greater powers, I suppose." Jack shrugged, showing her he wasn't so sure himself. "What I do know is that you want me to forgive you for what happened aboard the Pearl."

"Yes." She said softly.

"I already do, love. The moment I called you a pirate was when it happened."

Unable to speak, she simply let him continue.

"The only thing I feel about that situation now is pride. I'm proud of you, Elizabeth for doing what you needed to do to save everyone. I'd have done the same, if I'd needed to so no worries, darling."

Elizabeth suddenly felt the weight of the last few hours drift away. She had Jack's forgiveness and he was proud of her! Imagine that, she thought, he was proud of her. Just when she didn't think she could love him more, she did.

"Jack, there's something I want to tell you too."

"What's that, Elizabeth?"

"I fell in love with you as soon as you called me a pirate."

A grin split across his face. "I love you too, pet. I couldn't help meself. You acted on selfish impulse…"

And with that, he kissed her and the world and her heart were finally at peace.


	3. Epilogue

**Author's note**: this is the epilogue to my little short story here. Enjoy! I apologize for the shortness, but it just seemed to work this way.

"Now, go and bring ol' Jack back…" he whispered before everything went black.

Almost immediately, Elizabeth was back where she'd been when she'd disappeared.

The next moment, Tia Dalma was standing front of her, looking her in the eyes.

"It was all real. Ya did see 'im."

"You mean it wasn't a dream or something?"

Tia Dalma only laughed. "Did it feel like one when ya kissed 'im?"

Elizabeth blushed furiously.

"I didn' think so." Before she continued, she got a very serious look on her face, "I did tha' to give you the chance 'or some peace in yer heart. Now, go and bring 'im back like 'e asked ya to."

Elizabeth stood. "Just tell me how, Tia. Just tell me how…"


End file.
